Circular-knitting machine



1929. H.- E. HOUSEMAN 1,725,275

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 12, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 w vE/mm [WT/V588.-

Aug. 20, 1929. HOUSEMAN 1,725,275

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 12', 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 20, 1929. H. E. HOUSEMAN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 12, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 -c 5 e g 1 V f L id M Ii LC F;

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Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD E. KOUSEMAN, OI WIIMINGTOLI, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOB TO STANDARD- TRUMP BROTHERS MACHINE CONE-ANY, OI WILMINGTON, DELAWABE, A CORPO- RATION OI DELAWARE.

GIMULAB-KNITTING mcnmn Application filed November 12, 1926. Serial No. 147,889.

In patents issued to me June 1927, No. 1,631,816 and No. 1,631,817, and in an appli L Fig. 4 is a. section through Fig. 3 on the line 4-4, looking in the direction of the cation filed by me May 20, 1926, Serial N o. arrows.

110,311, I have set forth mechanism for em-.

bodiment in circular knitting machines and especially-adapted to the knitting of striped hosiery. In the two patents, the stripedeffeet was produced by knitting the stocking of two threads, one a body yarn and the other a plating yarn. These threads are differently positioned, but those (regular) needles that are. not to produce the striping effect are drawn down at such a point in the rotation of the needle cylinder that the needles will engage both threads and knit them in together. Those (special) needles that are to produce the striping efi'ect are drawn down in advance of the point at which the regular needles are drawn down, and are drawn down at such a point that they will engage one of the threads but not the other. The thread that is not engaged will therefore float across the fabric and only the thread that is engaged by the special needles will form loops. In said two patents, the means for producing such 'a fabrlc comprise, in general, needles provlded with shoulders, above their butts, of different lengths, and a stitch cam mechanism adapted to lower needles by acting upon their butts and shoulders to selectively actuate the needles in such manner that a striped effect will be produced. In the said application, multi-colored patterns, particularly striped hosiery, are produced by yarn changes.

While the present application utilizes cer-v tain features of the patents and applications mentioned, its more especial ob'ect is to produce stripedeffects in plated abric extending either vertically or horizontally at any desired part of the fabric, which stripes may be of any predetermined length and which may be combined in .suchmanner as to produce an infinite variety of patterns.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in-the drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a knitting machine to which the invention has been applied, the figure embodying also a general view of some of the elements of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of that part of the machine that embodies my inventlon.

\ Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are detail views, in different positions, of the lever mechanism; constituting part of my invention.

Fig. 9 is a diagram of a series of needles, the yarn feed, and the needle actuating cams.

. Fig. 10 shows side views of the four types of needles of the rear. bank. 1

Fig. 11 comprises diagrams showing how the needles are differentially actuated.

Fig. 12 shows diagrams of typical patterns that are adapted to be knit by the use of my invention.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the needle actuating cam mechanism.

Vertically slidable in the needle cylinder a are the needles (hereinafter particularly described). In Fig. 9 a yarn carrier 6, carrying both a body yarn d and a plating yarn e, is projected into the throat of the latch ring a in position to enable yarn fed therefrom to be engaged by needles. In the simplest type of machine adapted to produce striping efle'cts there are provided two sets of needles. The needles of one set, which may be called the special or striping needles, start to move down at a point in the rotation of the needle cylinder in advance of the point at which the needles of the other set, which may be called the regular needles, start to move down. The positions of the two yarns d and e are such that the hooks of the regular needles, in their downward movement, successively engage both yarns d and e,-While the hooks of the special needles, after engaging the body yarn cl, 'start to move down so far in advance of the point at which the regular needles start to move down that the special needles do not engage the plating yarn e. The plating yarn e is therefore not knit into the fabric, but floats across it and is concealed by the body yarn. If these two yarns are of different color, or are otherwise differentiated, the efi'ectproduced is that of a stripe extending along the wales that are knitby the special needles.

The present invention is intended and; adapted to reduce the same effects as those capable of l ieing produced by means of the inventions of the two earlier of the hereinbefore mentioned patent applications and also additional effects which greatly enlarge the possible range of ornameutation. Mechanism embodying the present invention may be so operated as to produce vertical stripes of any desired length along any one of a number of wales or groups of wales. It may also be operated to produce circumferential stripes of any one of a number ofdifferent lengths along any course or any groups of courses. Any of the vertical stripes may be as short as the width of a single course (or a pair of courses) and any of the circumferential stripes may be as short as the width of a single wale (or a pair of wales), and therefore it is possible to produce small square effects. It therefore becomes possible to produce more or less intricate patterns of infinite variety, examples of three of which are shown in Fig. 12.

lVhile the present invention, as hereinbefore stated, involves the use of needles having, as in my earlier inventions, butts and shoulders, different needles are provided (preferably, in order to make possible the production of a greater variety of figures) with two or more, preferably three, shoulders of different lengths. \Vhile, also, as in my earlier inventions, the needles are actuated by cam mechanism that is differently positioned to actuate different combinations of needles, the means for controlling the operation of such cam mechanism is quite different in my present invention. Such means, shown more particularly in Figs. 1-8 of the drawings, are hereinafter fully described after the construction of the needles and of the cam mechanism for operating them have been explained.

In Fig. 10 there are shown needles representing the four sets of needles of the rear bank. The butts of the needles are of the same length. One of them, 2, has no shoulder. The other three, 3, 4 and 5, have shoulders of progressively increasing length.

The needles of the front bank also comprise four sets. The butts of the front needles are all of the same length but are longer than the butts of the rear needles. One of them is unprovided with a shoulder, and the other three are provided with shoulders corresponding in length respectively to the shoulders of needles 3, 4 and 5. During the knitting of the leg and the top and bottom of the foot, both the rear and front needles are operated in the same way; and a description of the operation of the needles 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the rear bank will suffice for a description of the corresponding needles of the front bank.

For differentially actuating the needles any suitable cam or cams may beprovided, but the cam shown in my application Serial No. 104,883, and separately illustrated in Fig. 13, Sheet 1, is found suitable for use.

and forms a continuation of, the under cam face of the part 9. It may be more convenient to designate f and g each as a cam, as in effect each is, although they cooperate, also, to act as a single cam.

The radially movable cam 9 may be moved inward to, or nearly to, the circumferent al plane of the outer edges of the needle shanks, in which position-it overhangs cam j", which is positioned a substantial distance from such plane. Cam g may also be moved out so that its inner face aligns with the inner face of cam f, so that the two become one long cam. Cam 9 ma also be moved into two intermediate positions.

\Vhen cam g is moved out until its inner face aligns with the inner face of cam f, as shown at the left in Fig. 11 (Position 1) none of the shoulders will engage the cam Hence none of the needles will be prematurely lowered, and the hooks of all the needles will engage both yarns d and e, and both yarns will be knit into the fabric throughout its circumference and yarn e will appear on the face of the fabric.

When cam g is stepped'in to the second position (11) shown in Fig. 11, the shoulders of needles 5 will be engaged by cam 9 before the cam engages the butts of the remaining needles. Hence needles 5 will be prematurely depressed, their hooks will not engage yarn e, and only yarn d will be knit into the fabric and appear on its face in the wales of the fabric that are knit by needles 5, the yarn e floating at the back. If cam 9 remains in this position for a number of courses, vertical stripes will be formed across a corresponding number of courses.

When cam g is stepped in to Position III of Fig 11, the shoulders of needles 4 and 5 will be engaged by cam 9 before the cam engages the butts of the remaining needles. Hence needles 4 and 5 will be prematurely depressed. Their hooks will not engage yarn e, and only yarn d will be knit into the part of the fabric knit by these needles.

When cam g is stepped into Position IV of Fig. 11, the shoulders of all the shouldered needles 3', 4, and 5 will be engaged by cam 9 before the cam engages the butts of needles 2. Hence all the needles except needles 2 will be prematurely depressed and their hooks will not engage yarn e and only yarn d will be knit into the part of the fabric knit by these needles.

In my invention, I have provided means,

alternate course, of the knitting. The needies 2, 3, 4; and 5 may be arran ed in any desired order about the circumference of the needle cylinder, singly or in pairs. Thereby I accomplish the production of the different ornamental designs hereinbef'ore mentioned. For example, the left hand design of Fig. 12 is one of the infinite numberof designs that I can produce by so shifting the posi tion of cam g. The seven horizontally extending spaces indicate the courses, while the five vertically extending intersecting spaces indicate the wales.- The first and fifth wales are knit on needles 3, the second and fourth on needles 4, and the third on needle 5. Adjacent wales (not shown) may be knit on needles 2.

In the top course, cam g is in Position I. None of the shouldered needles are engaged, all are lowered at. the same point in the rotation of the needle C llIl(lGI, all engage both yarns (Z and 6 am a normal plated iabric is knit with yarn e appearing on the ace.

In the next course, cam g is in Position IV and engages the shoulders of all the ncedles. It therefore prematurely lowers all the needles 3, 4 and 5, producing a circumferential stripe of the length shown.

In the next course, cum 9 is in Position II and engages the shoulders of only needles 5. It therefore prematurely flowers only needles 5, and yarn e is floated on the'back only in those wales knit by needles 5.

In the next course, cam g is in Position III and engages the shoulders of only needles 4 and 5. It therefore prematurely lowers needles 4: and 5 and yarn e is floated on the back in those wales knit by needles 4 and 5.

It will therefore be understood that means must be provided to shift cam g to a predetermined definite position at each course of knitting (or after any given plurality of courses of knitting if the circumferential strips are designed to be formed of a width greater than one course). This is accomplished by mechanism shown in detail in Figs. 38.

Cam g is normally held in its innermost Position IV, Fig. 11, by means of a spring 2'. (Fig. 3) which actuates a slide carrying cam g. A bell crank lever m engages an adjusting screw 70 on slide j and is movable into different positions to shift the cam ,7 into any of the Positions I, II and III of Fig. 11. The bell crank is moved into and held in these three different positions by means of three levers n, n and n pivoted on one arm of the bell crank and held against adjusting screws 0 carried by said arm. \V'hile spring 9 tends to retract lever m from screw is, it is ineffective to do so, because levers n, n and n are respectively engaged by bell crank levers 1', r and 1' which always engage levers n, 72., 11?, re-

spectively. See also Figs. 4-8. Levers n, n, n have bevelled ends which are engaged by lovers 7, 1" and 7 respectively when cam 7 is in its innermost Position ,IV, Fig. 11. When any lever 1', r, or r istilted on its, axis, the end contacting with its correspond. ing lever n, n or n rides down beyond the bevelled face of the latter and swings it and lever on to retract cam g. Levers n, n and a do not have their operative faces in the same plane, but in different planes, so that the extent to which lever m is operated depends on which of the levers n, n and n is operated.

By means of adjusting screws 0, one for each lever 11 21 a (only two screws are shown), any departure from exact-itude in the shifting of cum 9 to predetermined distances may be readily corrected.

The movements of the holding lovers 1, 7", 1 back and forth are limited by a pin p ex tending through aligning holes in the levers. Levers 1", r and '1 are operable respectively by levers If, t and t pivoted between their ends on a lever 30, which is reciprocated back and forth, by means to be hereinafter described, as shown by the arrow, Fig. 7. Each lever t, t and t is held, normally, in the in active position shown in Fig. 6, against a stop '2) on lever 30 by means of a spring to.

In Figs. 7 and 8, to avoid confusion, only two sets of levers n and n, 7 and r, t and t, are shown. In Figs. t and 5, all these levers are illustrated.

Each of the levers t, if and t is actuated by a selector 20, which is movable vertically, by means to be hereinafter described, and as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, to selectively actuate any of said levers.

Let it be assumed that cam g is in Position IV, Fig. 11, and that it is desired to move it to Position III, Fig. 11, and that levers t, r and a are the levers adapted to effect this shift. Selector 20 is moved into alignment with lever 6 while lever 30 is moving forward (that is, in a downward direction in Figs. 6, 7 and 8). In the backward or upward movement of lever 30, lever t contacts with selector 20 before lever 30 completes its movement, and during the completion of the upward movement of lever 30, selector 20 presses lever t down from its. normal position (the upper dotted line position in Fig. 7 to a somewhat lower position (the other dotted line position in Fig. 7), during which limited downward movement of lever t, it contacts with the extreme tip of lever 1' and thereafter snaps over it; the selector 20 (which is held in operative position by a spring 21 that is stronger than spring w) yielding slightly to allow lever t to yield sufficiently to enable it to clear the tip of lever '1. Lever 30 now starts to move down, thereby carrying lever t out of contact with the selector. Thcreupon spring in tends to restore lever t to its normal position, which movement, if permitted, would prematurely swing lever 7 into position to actuate lever 17.. Spring 2', however, which is connected, as above described, to slide j, is stronger than spring 20, and holds lever 1' from swinging; and lever 7 in turn, acts as a stop to prevent lever t from being actuated by its spring w. In fact, as lever con tinues to move down, lever 7- has a cam action on lever t and, before the downward movement of lever 30 is completed, lever 25 is forced against a stop a; on lever 30. During the completion of the downward movement of lever 30, lever 16 is confined between lever r and stop it, and exerts a positive cam action on lever r and tilts it down on its axis, as shown in Fig. 8, thereby swinging lever 11. into position to swing lever m and shaft cam g.

It should be mentioned that, so far as concerns'the operation of the present invention, spring 9, acting on lever m, merely supplements the operation of spring 2' and may be omitted if spring iis made strong enough to perform the functions herein ascribed to In the reverse horizontal movement of lever 30, lever t will release lever r, and if selector 20, in the meanwhile, has been shifted, lever It will be retracted, by its spring w,

to the position shown in Fig. 6; but lever r will not be released, because spring 11 will exert sufficient pressure, though levers m and n, on lever 7 to hold it in its advanced position. It is desired that lever 1" shall maintain its advanced position until another chain of levers shall be actuated by the selector, and that lever 1' shall be retracted at the same time that another lever r or 1' is advancing. This is accomplished by causing any of the levers t, 2." or 25 in the movement by which it advances its corresponding lever r, r or 1*, to swing the other levers t and t, or t and t or t and t into position to retract any of the levers 1', r or 1 that may be in advanced position.

To make this operation clear, let it be-assumed that lever 25 has been advanced, that 30 is in the down position (Fig. 7), that lever t is in the position shown in Fig. 6, that selector 20 is shifted to align with lever 25, that lever 30 moves up, that lever t contacts with the selector and is thereby moved a short distance, that lever 30 starts to move down, that lever 2f snaps over lever r, and that as lever 30 completes its down movement, lever r is advanced-all as hereinbefore explained. It will be observed, by reference to Fig. 6, that each lever 27, t, t is forked at one end thereof, that stop '0 acts to limit the movement in one direction of levers t, t, t by contacting with the lower fork, and that on the shaft carrying levers t, t and t is pivoted an arm provided with a pin .2, which engages the upper fork of any of the levers t, 25 F, that is in its normal position. Assuming that, as above described, lever 30 is completing its downward movement and that lever 13 is swinging from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 7 it will be observed that the lower fork of lever t has contacted with pin 2. Therefore, as lever 25 swings from the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 8, its lower fork actuates pin 2. Pin .2 contacts with the upper forks of the other levers t and t and swings them into the position in which lever t is shown. in Fig. 8. If, as above assumed, lever 7* is in its advanced position, lever 25 will contact with lever r and swing it into the position occupied by lever r in Fig. 8, thereby causing the end of lever 1" to slide onto the bevelled edge of lever n at the same time that the end of lever r is riding down below the bevelled edge of lever 11..

Assume, however, that it is desired to shift cam g to its innermost position, namely, Position IV of Fig. 11. To allow this movement, selector 20 is moved out of alignment with all the levers t, 15, t Inasmuch as in the next reciprocation of lever 30 none of the described sets of levers is operated, it is obvious that the lever 1', r, or 1' that is holding its corresponding lever 71., n, or W, would not be withdrawn from holding position unless some special means were provided for so doing. The operation of withdrawing the lever n, n, or n that is in holding position is, in the assumed ease, performed by a special pair of levers 10 and s. Lever 10 has thesame construction and operation as any of the levers t, t, t and lever s has the same construction and o eration as any of the levers 1', 7", 1' but masmuch as lever s is ineffective to operate any levers carried by lever m, it is ineffective to effect any shifting of cam g. However, lever 10, as it moves from the position occupied by lever t in Fig. 7 to the position occupied by lever 25 in Fig. 8, acts to tilt levers t, t and t and thereby effect the tilting of any lever 7 r or 1' that is in holding engagement with its corresponding lever n, 'n, or 71. and thereupon spring 11 becomes effective to move cam g to its innermost position.

Lever 30 is actually the long arm of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the machine frame (see Fig. 1). The other arm of this lever has a pin which rides on a cam 51 on gear wheel 50, thereby, in cooperation with a spring 53, giving lever 30 the recip rocatory movement hereinbefore described. Gear wheel 50 is geared one to one with the needle cylinder through an intermediate gear 52.

Reciprocating lever 30 carries a pawl 32 (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4:) that imparts an intermittent progressive movement to a ratchet wheel 33 on the shaft of a pattern chain 35.

The pattern chain is provided with removable lugs of four different heights. These lugs are adapted to engage a member 41 carried on a yoke-shaped lever 42 (see Fig. 4), on the end of which is mounted the preyiously described selector 20. The lever 42 is thereby movable into four different positions, thereby causing the selector to align with any one of the four levers t, t, t, 10.

It is obvious that by ositioning the lugs on the pattern chain, t e selector ma be shifted to actuate any predetermined c ain of levers at each course of knitting and that thereby cam 9 may be shifted to cause the needles to be actuated in such manner as to produce any desired pattern. I

I have not herein described the means for arresting the movement of the pattern chain during the knitting of the heel and toe, such means forming no part of the present invention but being described in my application Serial No. 110,311 to which reference has hereinbefore been made.

The needles of the front bank are provided with longer butts than needles 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the rear bank in order to adapt them to be moved out of operative position,

prior to knitting the heel and toe, by a special cam that will not engage the shorter butts of the needles of the rear bank, as is well understood in the art.

There, in the claims, I refer to positioning the stitch cam by means of pattern controlled means, I intend to cover the capacity of the pattern controlled means to either shift the cam or to maintain it in its previous position.

The novel gpattern mechanism herein described, which is adaptable to other purposes than that of shifting the described stitch cam, is not herein claimed per se, butforms the subject-matter of a divisional application filed June 26, 1928, Serial No. 288,321.

"Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letter Patent is:

1. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of sets of needles provided with differential cam-engaging elements, and a stitch cam adapted to be moved into different positions to effect differential operations of thesets of needles, the combination therewith of areciprocatory member, means to synchronously operatethe needle cylinder and the recip rocatory member, chains of levers operable by the reciprocatory member and controlling the movement of the stitch cam into different positions, and pattern controlled mechanism adapted to selectively bring the several chains of levers into operative relationship with the reciprocatory member and thereby differentially position the stitch cam.

2. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of sets of needles provided with differential cam-engaging elements, and a stitch cam adapted to be moved into different positions to effect differential operations of the sets of needles, the combination therewith of chains of levers adapted to control the movement of the stitch caminto respectively different 0- sitions, means to actuate the needle cylin er and synchronously therewith actuate any of cam-engaging elements, and a stitch cam adapted to be moved into difierent positions to effect differential operations of the sets of needles, the combination therewith of sets of mechanisms adapted to control the movement of the stitch cam into respectively different positions, means to actuate the needle cylinder and synchronously therewith actuate any of said sets of mechanism, and pat-- tern controlled means ada ted to selectively render any of said sets 0 mechanism effectively operable by its actuating means and thereby effect the movement of the stitch cam into different positions.

4. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, a lurality of sets of needles provided with di erential cam-engaging elements, and a stitch cam adapted to be moved into different positions to effect differential operations of the sets of needles, the combination therewith of a spring adapted to hold the stitch cam in one position, a plurality of chains of levers adapted to control the movement of the stitch cam into different other positions, means to actuate the needle cylinder and synchronously therewith actuate any of the chains of levers, and pattern controlled mechanism adaptedto selectivel place none or any of the several chains 0 levers into operative relationship with its actuatin means, thereby allowing the ositioning o the stitch cam to be controlled y said spring or by one of the chains of levers.

ing a rotatable needle cylinder, a lurality of sets of needles provided with. di erential cam-engaging elements, and a stitch cam adapted to be moved into different positions to effect differential operations of the sets of needles, the combination therewith of a plurality of shifting means, a plurality of members, normally inoperative, for actuating the shifting means, and a pattern controlled selector movable into successive predetermined 5. In a circular knitting machine comprisposition to control the operation of said acoperate with said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of a plurality of chains of levers, a' reciprocatory member carrying the lever of each chain that is adapted to actuate another lever of the same chain, a selector adapted to move the first lever of any chain into actu' ating position, means to synchronously actuate the needle cylinder and the reciprocatory member, and pattern mechanism adapted to operate the selector, the different chains of levers being adapted to control the movement of the cam mechanism into respectively different positions.

7 In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, needles carried thereby, means whereby different needles may be operable independently of other needles to effect differential stitching, and non-rotatable cam mechanism movable to cooperate With said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of a plurality of shifting levers, a plurality of operating levers one for each shifting lever, and connecting means operable, when any operating lever is rendered operative, to

synchronously put into action its shifting lever and render inoperative any other shifting lever which has been previously operative, said shifting levers adapted to move the stitch cam into respectively different predetermined positions and hold it in such positions.

8. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, needles carried thereby, means whereby different needles may be operable independently of other needles to effect differential stitching, and non-rotatable cam mechanism movable to cooperate with said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of a reciprocatory member, means to synchronously operate the needle cylinder and the reciprocatory member, chains of levers operable by the reciprocatory member and controlling the movement of the cam mechanism into different positions, and pattern controlled mechanism adaptedto selectively bring the several chains of levers into operative relationship with the reciprocatory member and thereby differentially position the cam mechanism.

9. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, needles carried thereby, means whereby different needles may be operable independently of other needles to effect differential stitching, and non-rotatable cam mechanism movable to cooperate with said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of chains of levers adapted to control the movement of the cam mechanism into respectively different positions, means to actuate the needle cylinder and synchronously therewith acutate any of the chains of levers, and a selector movable into different positions to render different chains of levers effectively operable by its operating means and thereby effect the movement .of the cam mechanism into different positions.

10. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, needles carried thereby, means whereby different needles may be operable independently of other needles to effect differential stitching, and non-rotatable cam mechanism movable to cooperate with said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of sets of mechanisms adapted to control the movement of the cam mechanism into respectively different positions, means to actuate the needle cylinder and synchronously therewith actuate any of said sets of mechanism, and pattern controlled means adapted to selectively render any of said sets of mechanism effectively operable by its actuating means and thereby effect the movement of the cam mechanism into different positions.

11. In a circular knitting machine comprising a rotatable needle cylinder, needles carried thereby, means whereby different needles may be operable independently of other needles toeflect differential stitching, and non-rotatable ,cam mechanism movable to cooperate with said means to differentially operate said needles, the combination therewith of a spring adapted to hold the cam mechanism in one position, a plurality of chains of levers adapted to control the movement of the cam mechanism into different other positions, means to actuate the needle cylinder and s nchronously therewith actuate any of t e chains of levers, and pattern controlled mechanism adapted to selectively place none or any of the several chains of levers into operative relation.- ship with its actuating means, thereby allowing the positioning of the cam mechanism to be controlled by said spring or by one of the chains of levers.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on this 8th day of November, 1926.

HAROLD E. HOUSEMAN 

